ABSTRACT The study aims to determine how empowerment strategies are implemented in the Harapan Jaya and Sungai Beliung public housing complexes and how effective they are. It is classified as socio-legal research, using Law No. 20 of 2011 on Public Housing as the analytical tool. Data was collected through interviews and observation, which was then analysed using thematic techniques. The results of the study show that the empowerment strategy at the Harapan Jaya public housing complex does not reflect the concept of bottom-up community-based empowerment as intended in Article 96 of the Public Housing Law, which requires community involvement in the management of public housing. This is evident from the passive nature of the residents and managers of Rusunawa Harapan Jaya, who simply wait for external parties to carry out activities. This contrasts with the community-based empowerment activities at Rusunawa Sungai Beliung, where residents and managers are actively initiating empowerment activities. Based on Article 3 of the Flat House Law, the empowerment activities of the two flat houses were unable to improve the residents' economy, but in terms of improving socio-cultural resilience, the Sungai Beliung flat house was far better due to the regular activities of the Renabekati reading park. Communication style, the age of the flat house, and external support were the main factors behind the differences in empowerment strategies. Communication between residents and managers in the Sungai Beliung public housing complex does not only rely on social media, but also through regular meetings and door-to-door visits if there is something to discuss. The above factors make the human resources of the Sungai Beliung public housing complex more capable of delivering community empowerment development that emphasises maximising human resource potential. It also makes the empowerment strategy more effective in increasing community social participation. It is evident that more than 50 per cent of residents of the Sungai Beliung public housing complex participate in every activity, compared to less than 50 per cent of residents of the Harapan Jaya public housing complex.